The caller on the other end of the line Tuesday at Sharpshooters Gun and Knife store in Lubbock, was asking about a Romanian AK, which, like many other assault rifles, has become a hot commodity in the gun industry since Nov. 4.

Employees at Shooters Knife and Gun Exchange have seen an increase in the sale of weapons since the election of Barack Obama as President. Fears that weapons such as these semi-automatic assault rifle's could be banned under a new administration. (Merissa Ferguson/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)

Joshua Key of Midlothian checks out a handgun Monday afternoon at Shooters Knife and Gun Exchange in Lubbock. Employees at Shooters Knife and Gun Exchange have seen an increase in the sale of weapons since the election of Barack Obama as President. (Merissa Ferguson/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)

Joshua Key of Midlothian, checks out a handgun with the help of Weldon Perser, an employee of Shooters Knife and Gun Exchange Monday afternoon. Employees at Shooters Knife and Gun Exchange have seen an increase in the sale of weapons since the election of Barack Obama as President. (Merissa Ferguson/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)

The store is fresh out.

So what is it that has gun enthusiasts packing a gun store to the brim on a Tuesday afternoon?

"People were afraid of what Clinton was going to do," said store owner Charles Blackwell. "They're a lot more afraid of Barack Obama."

In the shadow of restrictions passed on assault rifles and other gun purchases passed in 1994, concerned buyers are coming out in force to purchase weapons and accessories they believe may no longer be readily available after President-elect Obama takes office in January.

Allen Butler, who was leaving the store after having work done on his AR-15 rifle, said any more restrictions put on the owners of such weapons would only serve to restrict the freedoms guaranteed by the Second Amendment.

"It's just going to take away from the enjoyment of owning them," Butler said. "I'd just like to see them leave it alone."

And he's not the only one.

According the National Rifle Association's Web site, gun owners across the nation fear changes in the Democratic administration will interfere with the ability of gun owners to legally use or purchase some weapons and ammunition.

One congresswoman listed on the site as being a danger to gun rights is Rep. Carolyn McCarty, D-N.Y., who advocates reviving the assault weapon ban which expired during the Bush administration in 2004.

Obama's official Web site also states the president-elect favors cracking down on ways in which guns can fall into the hands of children and criminals. It also suggests making the assault weapon ban permanent.

Alice Tripp, legislative director for the Texas State Rifle Association, said her office has received a flood of calls from concerned gun owners who don't want to see changes in the laws, especially in Texas.

"People don't like the idea of having something taken away from them," Tripp said. "That's why (assault rifles) are in such high demand."

While legislation passed at the federal level has wide-ranging effects on gun issues, Tripp said her organization works to ensure state laws don't become more restrictive than those coming from Washington.

"I expect to see more gun control legislation filed this time because the anti-gun people will be energized," she said. "As to whether the climate is such that they will pass, I wouldn't expect it."

In addition to the concerned calls, Tripp said there has been such a flood of requests for concealed and carry licenses that the state can't keep up.

"There are lots of things that the everyday, law-abiding citizens feel is an infringement on their rights," she said. "If there isn't a problem, and it's just feel-good-gun-control administration, and it only affects you and me, that won't be tolerated."

Though he said the rush on assault weapons this year has been far worse than when President Clinton was elected in 1992, Blackwell hopes Congress will have more important issues to deal with when Obama takes office.

"There's a lot bigger problems out there than people having 30-round clips as opposed to 10-round clips," he said. "The labeling of a gun as evil or assault because it's black and semi-automatic is not accurate."

And as he said that he's been working 12 to 15 hour days to keep up with the new demand, Blackwell said he believes one thing is for sure: